Conference on Environmental Science and Technology

Recent data indicates that 62Mt of e-waste (approximately 8 kg per capita) were generated worldwide in 2022 and this amount is foreseen to rise of 32%, reaching around 82Mt, in 2030. Despite this significant quantities, less than 20% is recycled. Recent researches demonstrated that disassembling prior to physical and mechanical treatment could optimize the recycling rate of the valuable metals and non-metals inside the electronic part of the e-waste. Despite this, pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processes are still commonly applied directly to extract valuable metals from such waste. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) represent an important fraction in electronic waste, as they contain a considerable amount of valuable metals and critical raw materials (CRM). PCB compositions varies depending on its specific type, product, and brand. For this reason, PCBs are an important target for metals recycling in the context of waste management. Moreover, not considering the components installed on the PCBs, the layer remaining consists of copper sheets, glass fiber, and epoxy resin, with copper content reaching up to 30%. The aim of this work is to find a technologic approach to improve the recovery efficiency of copper from PCB by means of a sustainable, economic and green technique. In particular, an optimized integrated treatment composed of dismantling, grinding, sieving, electrostatic separation and hydrometallurgical extraction with green reagents, was designed. To evaluate the content in copper in the inlet and processed material, aiming at calculating a separation efficiency, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) and microscope analysis were carried out. As a result of the processes implemented a copper concentration major than 60% has been reached.